The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) told the Delhi High Court on Friday that it has demolished 543 properties, sealed 178 and issued 354 show-cause notices for unauthorised construction following the recent collapse of a paying guest (PG) building in Satya Niketan that claimed seven lives.

In an affidavit filed before the High Court, the MCD said disciplinary action had also been taken against its officials. Five officers in the supervisory chain have been suspended in connection with the matter.

"The senior-most officers connected with the concerned zonal and building administration were also placed under suspension," the MCD said, adding that the action included the Deputy Commissioner of the concerned zone, the Superintending Engineer of the South Zone, the Executive Engineer, Assistant Engineer and Junior Engineer concerned.

The civic body further informed the court that Delhi currently has 2,453 PG accommodations comprising 32,247 rooms and housing around 50,529 people. However, only 512 of these PG buildings are operating in accordance with the Master Plan, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit was filed in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning the September 6 collapse of a PG building in Satya Niketan, which resulted in the deaths of seven people.

The PIL, filed by Aniket Kumar Gupta, seeks compensation of ₹1 crore for the families of the victims and a structural audit of all PG accommodations and hostels in Delhi.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia questioned the legality of the PG accommodations after being informed that a large majority were not operating in accordance with the Master Plan.

Justice Karia referred to an MCD survey report concerning PG accommodations in the Outer North (Narela) Zone. The report identified 82 PGs in the area, but none was found to be compliant with the Master Plan.

The court also questioned the Delhi government about the status of a statutory mechanism to regulate PG accommodations.

Standing Counsel Sameer Vashisht informed the bench that the government's High-Powered Committee (HPC) would meet shortly to consider the issue.

Meanwhile, Delhi University (DU) informed the court through an affidavit that it currently provides hostel accommodation to around 5,600 students. The petitioner, however, told the court that nearly 1.3 lakh students are enrolled at the university.

The bench described DU's affidavit as "absolutely vague" and directed the university to file a fresh response providing clearer details.

The court also directed the petitioners to file their responses to the affidavits submitted by the government authorities.

The matter has been listed for further hearing on October 14.